Hair dryer with a pivotall mounted dryer assembly



Jarvl- 31, 1967. I A. J. THIEBLOT ETAL 3,

HAIR DRYER WITH-A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED DRYER ASSEMBLY Filed March 20, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 E INVENTORS ANDREW z. FLEMING ARM/1ND J TH/E'BLO'T ROSCOE' E LEHMAN BY Z/WW ATTORNEY Jan. 31, 1967 A. J. THIEBLOT ETAL HAIR DRYER WITH A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED DRYER ASSEMBLY Filed March 20, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ANDREW L. FLEMING ARM/1ND J; TH/EBLOT ROSCOE E. LEHMAN ATTORNEY A. .1v THIEBLOT ETAL 3,300,872

6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS ANDREW L. FLEMING ARM/1ND J. TH/EBLOT' ROSCOE E. LEHMAN z/m. WW- .J

ATTORNEY Jan. 31, 1967 HAIR DRYER WITH A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED DRYER ASSEMBLY Filed March 20, 1964 n- 1967 A. J. THIEBLOT ETAL 3,300,872

HAIR DRYER WITH A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED DRYER ASSEMBLY Filed March 20, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS ANDREW L. FLEMING ARM/1N0 J TH/EBLOT ROSCOE E. LEHMAN ATTORNEY Jan. 31, 1967 A. J. THIEBLOT ETAL HAIR DRYER WITH A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED DRYER ASSEMBLY Filed March 20, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 HIGH COOL I ANDREW L. FLEMING ARM/IND J. TH/EBLOT INVENTORS ROSCOE E LEHMAN M7. WMM/ ATTORNEY Jan. 31, 1967 A. J. THIEBLOT ETAL 3,300,872

HAIR DRYER WITH A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED DRYER ASSEMBLY Filed March 20, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet e FEM) . .300 M4977 bar/7729? A60 #:0777- HEW ATTORNEY 2 k x k s w R Q @eu) Q I 0) Q W INVENTORs O'/V- :zavwazna i I) United States Patent 3,300,872 HAHl DRYER WITH A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED DRYER ASSEMBLY Armand J. Thieblot and Roscoe E. Lehman, Hagerstown, Md., and Andrew L. Fleming, Longmeadow, Mass., assignors to John H. Breck, Inc., Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 353,337 6 Claims. (CI. 34-99) This invention relates to hair dryers of the cabinet type; that is, to equipment wherein the air blower and heater are enclosed in a stationary cabinet to which the dryer hood is connected by a metal duct. Dryers of this class present the advantage of increased ease of assembly and ready accessability of the working parts for adjustment and repair, but have certain disadvantages which it is among the objects of the present invention to overcome.

The user of a dryer of this class is customarily seated in a chair that is adjacent to and may even be connected with the dryer cabinet and the hood is lowered over her head. She must then remain stationary during the entire time that the dryer is in operation, since any involuntary movement is apt to bring her head or neck into contact with the hot material of the outer hood or of the air duct. It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a supporting mechanism for the dryer hood which will give to the hood a floating characteristic; that is, the hood will readily move backward and forward to accommodate readjustments of the patrons position in the chair during the drying cycle. This avoids the weariness caused by the necessity of holding a rigid position under the dryer for extended lengths of time.

A second principal object of the invention is the provision of an improved control system for adjusting the heat supply of the dryer in accordance with the evaporation rate curve of the users hair. At the beginning of the drying cycle, when the hair is fully wetted, a relatively large supply of heat is needed. During the later parts of the drying period, however, the heat absorption by evaporation is greatly reduced, and the full impact of hot drying air is felt. This necessitates in most cases a heat reduction so that the drying air will be supplied at a lower temperature. The present invention provides a novel control system whereby either a manual or an automatic time-controlled operation may be obtained, or a combination thereof.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision in the improved heater control system of a time delay which starts the heater a few seconds before the blower provides hot air at the beginning of the drying cycle. This eliminates the discomfort that is frequently experienced by initially subjecting wet hair and scalp to a cold air jet, since the first portion of air delivered by the blower has already been preheated by the earlier operation of the heater.

Still further objects of the invention, including the provision of an inner hot air duct surrounded by an outer hood-carrying duct to provide an air-tight joint and prevent discomfort to the user by accidental contact with the metal adjacent to the hood, will become evident from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention when taken with the accompanying drawings, and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar parts are indicated among the several views by the same reference numerals, FIGS. 1 and 2 are front and rear views, respectively, of a cabinet type hair dryer embodying the invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the dryer taken on the line 33 of FIG. 4.

' FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the dryer with parts of the back panel of the cabinet and of the top closing strip broken away and with the duct and supporting cradle shown in section. FIGS. 4A and 4B are details of one of the removable connectors and of the key slots by means of which it holds the upper and lower ducts together.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the way in which the floating hood is pivoted at the approximate center of gravity of the machine.

FIG. 6 is a perspective of the rear of the dryer cabinet with the back panel removed to permit inspection of the mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a portion of the top surface of the cabinet, showing the control panel, and FIG. 8 is a vertical elevation of the control system.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of one of the switches of the control system, with parts broken away to show the electrical connections.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the interconnection of the switches of FIG. 9 with the six positions of the manual control cam indicated diagrammatically in FIGS. 11-16.

FIG. 17 is a perspective of the motor-driven cam that comes into operation when the control system is set for automatic operation.

FIG. 18 is a schematic wiring diagram of the heater controls and of the time delay mechanism which causes the blower to start later than the heaters.

Referring first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings the cabinet which houses the dryer assembly is indicated generally by reference numeral 1 and is preferably made of sheet metal or plastic material. The front 2 and sides 3 are in one piece, pressed and folded to shape, with the rear edges bent into back flanges 5 on which a removable back panel 7 is secured by bolts 6 or the like. An air filter 11 fits into an offset edge 9 of an opening in the upper portion of this panel and is held in place by a removably mounted frame 10 carrying a sheet 12 of per forated metal. The bottom 13 of the cabinet is also of pressed sheet metal while its top 14 is preferably a zinc alloy casting, chrome plated, in which provision has been made for installation of a finishing plate, controls, and ducting as will subsequently be described. The cabinet may be supported on suitably formed sheet metal legs 15, which are preferably removable to permit chair installation if desired.

Hot air generated in a duct within the cabinet is delivered through ductwork 18 to a hood assembly 20 which is adapted to be lowered over the head of a patron seated before the cabinet 1 as in the chair indicated diagrammatically at 19 in FIG. 3. This hood assembly is made up of an inner hood 21, preferably of transparent methyl methacrylate plastic and having an outwardly extending flange 22, and an outer hood 23 which is preferably composed of the same material. The outer hood is ellipsoidal in shape and may have, for example, a major axis of 13.18 inches, a minor axis of 12.56 inches and a depth of 9.62 inches. The inner hood is preferably concentric with the outer hood and has sets of spaced holes drilled to provide the necessary air passage to the hair of the user. The flange 22 of the inner hood is coterminous with a corresponding flange 24 on the outer hood 23 and the two flanges are held together by a seal band 25. The flange 22 also preferably carries a positioning and retaining clip 26 which, by means of a bayonet joint, permits removal of the seal band 25 while the inner hood remains in position. The seal band is preferably made of a channel section equipped with a quick release tension type latch.

The outer hood 23 has an air inlet opening 33 around which the flared upper end 30 (FIG. 4) of a hood duct 31 is fitted at its outer edge 32. An adapter 34 having a a peripheral flange 35 and a central air nozzle 36 is fitted in this opening with its flange opposite the edge 32 of the hood duct. The two pieces are fastened together by suitable fasteners 37 and clamp the plastic of the hood 23 between them. A lower duct 38 has a key slot washer 39 fastened on each side of its upper end and the hood duct is pivotally supported therein by means of a semicircular extension 40 having similar key slots 41. The parts are held together by fasteners 42, the details of which are shown in FIG. 4-A. Each fastener has a hollow knob 43 containing a shaft 44 loosely surrounded by a spring-pressed disk 45 and containing a pin 46. When the shaft 44 is inserted through the two key slots and held by turning the duct into alignment, the pin 46 is transverse of its adjacent slot and the pieces are maintained stationary in any angle by the pressure of the spring disk 45. The clearance between the upper and lower ducts is such that the hood can be tilted through an angle of about 30.

A gas-tight connection between the hood assembly and the lower duct 38 is obtained by means of an inner duct 47. This duct is preferably made of flexible rectangular tubing and has its upper end clamped around the nozzle 36 of the adapter 34. Its lower end is fitted around the central opening of a rubber gasket 48 which is pressed tightly against the walls of the lower duct 38 a short distance below its upper end. This gasket serves the double function of sealing the two ducts together and preventing the escape of hot air around the pivot joint between the lower duct and the outer hood duct.

The lower end of duct 38 carries a motor-blower unit 50, to which it is attached by a bearing plate 51, and also carries a heater unit 52 in its front wall. This unit contains three parallel heater circuits 53, 54 and 55 of Nichrome wire, adjusted to provide four substantially equal increments of heat rise from ambient to maximum. The wires are coiled to a 0.31 inch inside diameter and installed in an inverted W shape on a mica sheet 56 set into the duct wall with the heating Wires on the inside, and with their ends attached to a set of binding posts 57.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a dryer assembly, consisting of the blower 50, a rigid duct 38 which may have a hinged top section 31, heater 52, and a hood assembly 20, in the form of a single unit. It is a feature of the invention that this unit is so mounted that it can be raised and lowered and that the hood can also 'move backward and forward freely while the dryer is in operation. For this purpose, and as is most clearly shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the duct 38 is surrounded by and in slidable engagement with a guide assembly 59. This assembly includes a cradle 60 carrying pivot pins 61, Which are rotataby mounted in brackets 62 attached to the front wall 2 and the top 14 of the cabinet, a closing strip 63 at its top, and a pair of negator springs 64 at its sides to carry the weight of the dryer assembly.

The cradle 60 is a sheath, preferably of sheet metal or plastic material, which is so mounted on its pivots 61 as to surround the duct 38. The closing strip 63, which is preferably a flexible plastic sheet such as Mylar film, is attached at its upper edge adjacent to top 14 of the cabinet. This strip has a central opening to permit passage of the duct, while its outer skirt portions 66 are slidably supported by rods 67 carried by the cabinet. The negator springs 64 consist of coiled strips of spring steel having outer end portions which may pass through guides carried by the cradle 60, and which are attached to the lower end of duct 38. They serve the purpose of holding the dryer assembly stationary at any position between the extremes shown at 70 and 71 on FIG. 3 of the drawings.

As is best shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings, the cabinet top 14 has a central opening 75 that is sufiiciently wide to permit the desired backward and forward rocking motion of the dryer assembly in its pivoted cradle 60. The portions of this opening not occupied by the duct 38 are covered by the skirts 66 of the closing strip. A set of controls is preferably located on a panel 79 at one side of this top and consists of an outer heat control knob 81 and an inner timer knob 82. Knob 81 sets the heat control switch at the desired position while knob 82 turns the unit on and starts the timing motor. The heat control knob has a dial indicating six positions corresponding to cool, low, 2, 3, automatic and high; the timer can be set in either direction from zero to slightly less than 60 minutes. The knobs are preferably molded of an acrylic plastic with engraved markings corresponding to the above positions and with four 15 minute intervals for the knob- 82 as shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings.

The assembled switching and timing mechanism is shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings, the several elements and their wiring being indicated diagrammatically in FIGS. 9-17. The switch indicated generally by reference numeral is made up of a frame 91, earns 92 and 93 and microswitch assemblies 94 and 95. The timing mechanism has a timer motor 96 and a gear box 97 containing a train of friction drive reducing gems that terminates in a drive shaft 98 together with a time delay tube 99' and a relay 100.

The frame 91 includes a top plate 101, a middle plate 102 and a bottom plate 103 having a depending flange 104 which carries a base 105 for the time delay tube 99 and also carries the relay 100. The three plates are held together by rods 106 which may advantageously extend through plate 103 and support the gear box 97 and the timer motor 96 attached thereto. A timer shaft 107 passes rotatably through the three plates and is attached at its lower end to drive shaft 98 and at its upper end to the timer knob 82. A cylindrical timer cam (FIG. 17) having low areas 108 and 129 and a high area 109 is attached to this shaft between plates 102 and 103 and rotates when the shaft is turned.

The upper portion of timer shaft 107 is surrounded by but not attached to a tubular shaft 111, the lower end of which is journalled in middle plate 102 while its upper end passes through top plate 101 and is secured in the plastic of heat control knob 81. A cylindrical heat selector cam 112 is attached to this shaft and is rotated when the knob 81 is turned.

The function of cams 110 and 112 is to operate microswitches of the type shown on FIG. 9 of the drawings and indicated generally by reference numeral 115. These microswitches are well known and are available commercially, and therefore need not be described in detail; it is sufficient to say that they contain a movable switch element 117 which has at its outer end 116 a rotatable cam follower 118 and a spring 119 that normally holds it in the extended position shown. This is the position taken by the switch when the follower 118 is in a low portion of one of the cams, as in area 108 of cam 110. In this position the central conductor 122 makes electrical contact with contact element 120 while a circuit with element 121 is open. When the follower 118 is pressed back by a raised portion of a cam contact is made between conductor 122 and contact element 121 while the circuit with element 120 is broken. Terminals 123 and 124 are attached to contact elements 120 and 121; the unit can therefore be used either as a single throw switch or as a double throw switch.

The microswitches of the two sets 94 and 95 are indicated individually in FIGS. 8 and 10 as a to f and g to respectively. Element 113 in FIG. 8 is not a switch; it is a leaf spring that holds cam 112 stationary in any selected position by expanding into one of a set of six notches in its lower perimeter. The microswitches are so positioned in frame 91 that their cam followers 118 are in operative contact with cams 112 and 110 respectively.

All of the switches of set 94 are wired for single throw only, and the wiring is to terminals 122 and 123 so that each switch is closed when its'cam follower is extended into a groove such as at 125 (FIG. 8) in cam 112 (i.e., in the position shown in FIG. 9) and open when the follower is on a plateau as at 126. These switches are therefore normally closed. Switches h, i and j of set 95 are wire-d at terminals 122 and 124 and are therefore open when their followers are in the low areas of cam 110 and closed when they are on plateau 109; these switches are therefore normally open. Switch g is wired as a double throw switch.

The condition of each microswitch a to f at each of the six positions of heat control knob 81 is apparent from FIGS. 1116 of the drawings. These figures show schematically the profile of cam 112 that is presented to followers 118 after each 60 turn of shaft 111. FIG. 11 shows that microswitches a, b and c are open and d, e and 7 are closed when knob 81 is at automatic operation; a turn in one direction brings it to the high heat position of FIG. 12 where switches a, band are closed and d, e and f are open. A 60 turn of the control knob in the other direction brings about the No. 3 position of FIG. 14 in which switches a and c are closed while switches b and d to f are open; the next turn to the No. 2 position of FIG. 13 closes switches a and b and opens switches c to f. In the low heat position of FIG. 15 only switch a is closed, and all of the switches are open when the cam is in the cool position as in FIG. 16.

Timer cam 110 is so positioned on its shaft that all of its followers are in groove 128 when timer knob 82 is at zero. Its lower half, which controls microswitches i and i, has a plateau area around the remainder of its circumference, and these switches are therefore closed whenever the cam is turning. Low area 129, which operates microswitch h, preferably covers an arc of 30 and ther fore holds this switch open for about minutes after which it is closed by the plateau area of the cam. Low area 108 preferably covers a 90 arc and therefore permits switch g to remain open for fifteen minutes between terminals 124 and 122 but closed between terminals 123 and 122; these positions are then reversed during the remainder of the operation.

The effect of these switch positions on the dryer operation will be evident from the wiring diagram of FIG. 18, on which the heater circuit is from H on the black power line to H on the white line. Turning the timer shaft in either direction will close switch 1'; this starts timer motor 96 and also activates the heater elements. Current from the black line then enters the heater circuit from point H through inlet wire 200, switch j and conductor 201. It may then follow either of two courses. When the dial 81 is set for manual operation it flows to switches a, b and 0 through wire 202; the circuit by way of wire 205 is then completed through any one or more of the heaters, depending on the dial setting.

When the control knob 81 is set for automatic operation switches a, b and c are open and switches d, e and f are closed. If the timer is then set for minutes or more operation, switches h and i are also closed and switch g is closed on the 300 watt side. Current therefore flows through wire 206 and switch it to wire 207, through switch g to wire 208, and through switch f to wire 209 and into the 300 watt heater. Current also flows from wire 206 through switch i and wire 210, through switch d and wire 211 and so into the 250-watt heater. When the 15-minute point is reached the operation of cam 110 causes doublepole switch g to close on the ISO-watt side and open on the SOO-watt side; the current in wire 207 then flows through wire 212, switch e and wire 213 into the 150- watt heater while the 300-watt heater is of course disconnected. Further rotation of the cam cuts off the 150- watt heater by opening switch h. When the cam has rotated through a full turn switch i opens the 250-watt circuit and switch 1' opens the external circuit and so stops the machine.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of means which, when the dryer is turned on by closing switch 1', will automatically delay the supply of current to the blower circuit BB until well after the heater circuit HH has been energized. This causes the blower to provide hot air immediately at the beginning of the hair-drying cycle, and eliminates the discomfort experienced by initially subjecting wet hair and scalp to a cold air jet.

In accordance with the invention this is done by the combination of the relay 100, the time delay tube 99, and circuitry such that the coil 215 of the relay electromagnet is energized by the closing of a thermoswitch t in the time delay tube. An additional shunt circuit, which becomes closed when the relay is activated, is also preferably provided to keep the relay magnet in operation after the time delay tube has been disconnected.

The time delay tube 99 has a heating element 216 which is connected to the white power line by an inlet wire 217 and to the black line through switch 1' and wires 218 and 219; these wires are joined by a normally closed switch r which opens when the relay is energized. Normally, open thermoswitch t in tube 99 has a bimetallic contact element that moves and closes the switch when it is heated by heater 216. The closing of this switch permits current from wire 217 to flow through the coil 215 of the relay 100 by way of wires 220 and 221, the circuit being completed through wire 222, thus causing the relay to close switch s in the blower circuit BB. Preferably the size and location of heating element 216 are such that thermoswitch If closes about five seconds after the heaters are turned on.

When the relay 100 is energized in this manner it opens switch r and thereby disconnects the heating element 216 of time delay tube 99 from the power circuit. This causes thermoswitch t to open. An additional circuit is provided, however, to continue the supply of current to the relay coil 215. This consists of inlet wire 224 from the white power line, a wire 223 connecting with wire 221 from the relay coil, and a normally open switch w which becomes closed when the relay is first energized.

From the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment thereof it will be seen that the present invention accomplishes all of the objectives outlined above. A hair dryer fulfilling the needs of professional beauty parlors is provided that is completely adjustable to the height and posture of the patron, delivers only hot air when the unit is turned on, and can be adjusted either manually or automatically, or both, to the optimum drying cycle for the patrons hair.

We claim:

1. In a hair dryer, in combination, a cabinet and a pivoted dryer assembly, said assembly comprising a rigid air duct having a freely rockable upper portion extending above said cabinet and carrying a hood for delivering hot air to the hair of the user and a lower portion pivotally mounted within said cabinet, said lower portion containing an air heater and having a motor-driven air blower attached to and movable with its lower end.

2. In a hair dryer, in combination, a cabinet containing a cradle pivotally mounted therein and a dryer assembly supported in said cradle and rockable therewith, said assembly comprising a rigid air duct having a freely rockable upper portion extending above said cabinet and carrying a hood for delivering hot air to the hair of the user and a lower portion within said cabinet and supported in said cradle, said lower portion containing an air heater and having a motor-driven air blower attached to its lower end and movable therewith.

3. In a hair dryer, in combination, a cabinet containing a cradle pivotally mounted therein and a dryer assembly supported in said cradle and rockable therewith, said assembly comprising a rigid air duct having a freely rockable upper portion extending above said cabinet and carrying a hood for delivering hot air to the hair of the user and a lower portion within said cabinet and containing an air heater and having an air blower attached to it lower end, said lower portion being in slidable engagement with said cradle, whereby said hood can be adjusted vertically and can also follow horizontal movements of the -u,sers head while maintaining constant the relative 7" distances between the air blower, the heater and the hood.

4. In a hair dryer, in combination, a cabinet containing a guide assembly and a dryer assembly, said guide assembly including a cradle pivotally mounted in said cabinet and having a pair of negator springs at its sides, said dryer assembly comprising a rigid air duct having a movable upper portion extending above said cabinet and carrying a hood for delivering hot air to the hair of the user and a movable lower portion within said cabinet and containing an air heater and having an air blower attached to its lower end, said lower portion being surrounded by said cradle and slidably supported therein by said negator springs, whereby said hood can be held by said springs at any level of vertical adjustment and can also rock horizontally in response to movements of the users head while maintaining constant the relative distances between the blower, the heater and the hood.

5. In a hair dryer, in combination, a cabinet containing a cradle pivotally mounted therein and a dryer assembly supported in said cradle and rockable therewith, said cabinet including a top containing an opening around said cradle which is sufficiently large to provide space for its rocking movement, said assembly comprising a rigid air duct having an upper portion extended through said opening and carrying a hood for delivering hot air to the hair of the user and a lower portion within said cabinet and supported in said cradle, said lower portion containing an air heater and having a motor-driven air blower at its lower end, and a closing strip extending across the area of said opening not occupied by said air duct and attached to and movable with said cradle.

6. In a hair dryer, in combination, a cabinet and a pivoted dryer assembly, said assembly comprising a rigid air duct including lower and upper portions, the lower portion containing an air heater, and having a mot-or driven air blower attached to and movable with its lower end, and being pivotally mounted 'for a rocking motion within said cabinet, and the upper portion extending above said cabinet and carrying a hood for delivering hot air to the hair of the user, said upper portion containing a flexible inner duct the lower end of which is secured to its walls and the upper end of which is connected with an air inlet opening in said hood.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,016,096 10/1935 Martin 219364 2,048,143 7/1936 Seidman et a1. 3498 2,051,833 8/1936 Ehrlich 34-99 2,157,047 5/1939 Zwickl 34-99 2,971,076 2/1961 Ferguson 219-364 EDGAR W. GEOGHEGAN, Primary Examiner.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Examiner.

B. L. ADAMS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A HAIR DRYER, IN COMBINATION, A CABINET AND A PIVOTED DRYER ASSEMBLY, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A RIGID AIR DUCT HAVING A FREELY ROCKABLE UPPER PORTION EXTENDING ABOVE SAID CABINET AND CARRYING A HOOD FOR DELIVERING HOT AIR TO THE HAIR OF THE USER AND A LOWER PORTION PIVOTALLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CABINET, SAID LOWER PORTION CONTAINING AN AIR HEATER AND HAVING A MOTOR-DRIVEN AIR BLOWER ATTACHED TO AND MOVABLE WITH ITS LOWER END. 